Page 51 - Technology and Innovation Journal - 19-1

Technology and Innovation, Vol. 19, pp. 389-395, 2017 ISSN 1949-8241 • E-ISSN 1949-825X
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.21300/19.1.2017.389
Copyright © 2017 National Academy of Inventors. www.technologyandinnovation.org

UNIVERSITY-BASED MAKERSPACES:
A SOURCE OF INNOVATION

Shane Farritor

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA

Makerspaces are becoming more common on university campuses, but there is great variation
in what constitutes a makerspace. On some campuses, many departmental classroom labo-
ratories are being renamed or repurposed as makerspaces. Alternatively, other colleges are
creating college-wide makerspaces for their students, and a few universities are even creating
makerspaces for their entire campuses or their entire communities.
This paper presents the idea that university makerspaces can be a great source of innovation if
they are properly conceived. Makerspaces that seek to create innovation should have certain
characteristics. However, many of these characteristics do not come naturally to universi-
ty-based makerspaces. Instead, a deliberate effort must be made to help promote innovation
from a makerspace. In fact, many makerspace models inadvertently and explicitly exclude
characteristics that are important to innovation. For example, a makerspace that is created by
an engineering college might be more innovative if it allowed the use of the space by students
outside of engineering (e.g., art, history, business). Making this happen might require a different
funding structure or a different physical location for the makerspace.
Of course, no direct recipe or checklist exists that will ensure innovation. However, this paper
lists characteristics that should be considered when designing or operating a makerspace. It is
suggested that these characteristics will lead to increased makerspace innovation. The goal of
this paper is to make makerspace administrators and participants aware of characteristics of
the space that may lead to increased innovation.
Key words: Makerspace; Making; Innovation; Hardware; Entrepreneurship

BACKGROUND makerspaces often focus on encouraging creativity,
Makerspaces are a growing trend across the interdisciplinary collaboration, entrepreneurship,
world and are increasingly appearing on university and/or experiential education. There are many
types of university makerspaces (3), ranging from
campuses (1-5). The White House under President teaching labs renamed as makerspaces to large mul-
Obama established an initiative to encourage more tidisciplinary makerspaces, with Case Western’s Sears
making opportunities for university students (6). think[box] being an excellent example of the latter
A makerspace (sometimes referred to as a fab lab, (7). This paper will focus on issues to be considered
hobby shop, or hackerspace) is a physical space where if the goal of the university makerspace is to promote
individuals can build and create. University-based innovation.
_____________________
Accepted April 15, 2017.
Address correspondence to Shane Farritor, David & Nancy Lederer Professor, W358 Nebraska Hall, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0656, USA. Tel: +1 (402) 472-5805; Fax +1 (402) 472-1465. Email: sfarritor@unl.edu

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